Need snack ideas for ds

[whitestavern]

My ds is very thin. He eats "enough" meaning three meals a day (though he doesn't eat a lot at a sitting) and likes to snack. I have little to no junk in the house but that is where is tastes lie. He loves processed carbs and sweets. Again, I don't have much of that in the house. He's also somewhat lazy in that he doesn't want to exert any effort in making himself something to eat. Usually he will eat a plain piece of wheat bread (eww) crackers, dry cereal, a Lara bar if I have them, yogurt. He's in cross country and hockey and is thin so he can definitely eat more high calorie foods. Here's what I'm looking for:

 

healthy (high quality fats are ok in my book; good carbs, protein)

budget friendly

easy to prepare or just grab out of a container (or something I can prepare ahead and freeze or refrigerate so it's easy for him)

 

Thanks for any suggestions :)

Edited September 18, 2016 by whitestavern

[Pegasus]

Yeah, it sounds like the trick will be in making easy to grab snacks available to him. Otherwise, he'll decide it is "too much trouble" to actually prepare a snack. 

 

• Buy large tubs of yogurt and divide them up into smaller snack-size containers (adding fruit or other topping of his choice)?
• Nuts can get expensive but are a very convenient, nutrient dense, snack.
• Deviled eggs. You can cook a dozen at a time and have them ready to go in the fridge.
• Not very economical but if actually slicing cheese from a larger block is too much effort, the Baby Bel cheeses are convenient.
• Doesn't sound like your son needs to be low carb so I'd also look at making fully cooked containers of steel cut oats ready. He can heat for a few seconds in the microwave.
• Homemade granola.
• Frozen fruit smoothies.

 

 

Edited September 18, 2016 by Pegasus

[Lawana]

Energy bites are an oatmeal based snack that can be changed for variety. Lots of recipes on the Internet.

[Ottakee]

Hummus with cracker or veggies. Avacoda or guacamole. Deviled eggs

[klmama]

Nut butter or sunbutter with nuts, seeds, coconut, and/or dried fruits, mixed and rolled into little bite-sized balls for quick snacks.  Keep refrigerated. 

 

Do you have Sam's or Costco?  They sell packages of single-serving guacamole and sometimes hummus. 

[Pippen]

Most teen boys I know don't want to put a lot of effort into making food, especially for snacks. IMO, snacks should be fast and easy.

 

If I could afford to, I'd try to keep stocked up on the healthy snacks he does like, especially when he's in season or training. FWIW, I did find when my teens hit that point where they were very busy and very active I had to make some adjustments to the types of foods I kept on hand. Their nutritional needs, varying schedules, and individual preferences just didn't all gel with my ideals of menu and budget. 

 

If he drinks milk, I might look around for a healthy alternative to Carnation Instant Breakfast. 

If he likes leftovers, I'd make extra on purpose to keep in the fridge.

 

string cheese (or other grab-and-go cheese). 

homemade muffins, kept in the freezer

granola

frozen and/or toaster waffle

popcorn

frozen slices of pizza

 

 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2016 by Pippen

[Pen]

We are using a lot of Amy's organic frozen pizza right now. It is not very economical, but at least reasonably healthy and easy.  Also, tortilla topped with pepper jack cheese and put in the oven to melt the cheese as an easy open-face quesadilla. And again not so economical but also easy and relatively healthy, frozen fish with breading so they become pick up and go snacks.  If these are put in oven in morning, my ds will then eat them later as cold pizza, or cold the other things--though not, it turns out, if they have been wrapped in wax paper and the cheese or toppings get mushed.  

[LucyStoner]

My son loves to wrap up some chunks of meat or poultry and some cheese in a tortilla.  I keep a container of cooked "snack meat" in the fridge for this purpose.  Leftover carnias is a fave, but chunks of chicken or turkey will do.  

[alisoncooks]

Pita Chips with hummus - yum!

[TechWife]

If you made up a box with a variety of snacks at the beginning of the week, would he choose out of that box? I'm thinking of something like this.

 

box in the refrigerator with: 

string cheese

individual size yogurt

sandwich wraps (make ahead)

carrots (individual servings in bags)

cut celery (individual servings in bags)

sliced green pepper (individual servings in bags)

individual serving cream cheese for bagels (available in stores or you can make your own with small containers)

pre-sliced cheese for crackers (divided into individual serving sizes in zip lock bags)

 

a countertop box with: 

fruit

granola bars 

protein bars

nuts (divided into servings)

trail mix (divided into individual servings in zip lock bags)

measured cereal portions in zip lock bags

whole wheat bagels (individual serving cream cheese in fridge box)

whole wheat crackers (individual serving in zip lock bags)

individual serving peanut butter (available in stores or you can divide your own w/small containers)

 

Here's a link to some "make ahead" snacks: 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/sallytamarkin/insanely-good-snacks-you-can-make-ahead?utm_term=.gaVOOVYYOq#.qnXwwAvvwj

 

 

 

[whitestavern]

Thank you so much, all, for these great ideas! There are quite a few good ones I hadn't thought of. I especially like TechWife's suggestion of a box in the fridge and a box in the pantry; he will love how easy that is for him. I do have to be careful because I have a dd that struggles with weight, but I guess if most everything in there is healthy I won't concern myself too much with that.

[ktgrok]

Healthy muffins? I make ones from the 100 days of real food website. I love the pumpkin ones, and you can reduce the sugar if need be. Instead of 1/2 cup honey (per 12 muffins) I do 1/4 cup, and add in an individual container of applesauce.